Liquid Supply Assembly
A connector system for a liquid container system for a spray gun includes a lid that includes a liquid outlet and an adapter. The adapter includes a spray gun end and a lid end. The ends are connected with a liquid-tight passageway. Further, the spray gun end is adapted for releasable engagement with a liquid inlet port of the spray gun and the lid end is adapted for releasable engagement with the liquid outlet. The connector system also includes a plurality of interlocking tab assemblies for releasably attaching the adapter to the lid. Each assembly includes a first tab and a second tab, wherein an end of the first tab is adapted to secure the adapter to the lid when the first tab and the second tab are interlocked.
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This application is a continuation of, and claims priority from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/268,340, filed Oct. 7, 2011, entitled “Liquid Supply Assembly,” the disclosure of which application is hereby incorporated by reference; and, this application also claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/762,890, filed Jun. 14, 2007, entitled “Liquid Supply Assembly,” the disclosure of which application is hereby incorporated by reference. Further, this application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/828,245, filed Oct. 5, 2006, entitled “Liquid Supply Assembly,” the disclosure of which application is incorporated herein by reference; and, this application also claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/815,142, filed Jun. 20, 2006, entitled “Connector System for a Spray Gun Lid,” the disclosure of which application is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is directed to paint spray gun systems, particularly to liquid supply assemblies for paint spray gun systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spray guns are widely used for rapidly coating surfaces with liquids, such as paint. Liquid is contained in a container that attaches to the gun. The outlet of the container is typically a releasably connectable coupling that connects to the spray gun. Liquid flows from the container into the spray gun and is fed to a spray nozzle. The spray nozzle combines the liquid with air, atomizing the liquid, forming a spray. At the end of the spraying operation, the container and the mating connection to the spray gun must be thoroughly cleaned so that liquid from one operation does not contaminate the liquid to be sprayed in the next spraying operation. Additionally, the coupling between container and spray gun must not retain any dried liquid that might interfere with the connection between container and spray gun. A container with a disposable liner and lid may be used advantageously to eliminate or reduce the labor required to clean the container and the coupling to the spray gun. A spray gun system with a disposable liner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,824 to Joseph et al. Other spray gun systems with liners are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,104 to Kaltenbach; U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,929 to Sapien; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,501 to Lopresti.
Accordingly, the industry continues to need improvements in paint spray gun systems and liquid supply assemblies for paint spray gun systems.
The present disclosure can be better understood, and its numerous features and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.
In various embodiments disclosed herein, a connector system is provided for releasably attaching a spray gun to a liquid container. The connector system includes a liquid container lid with a liquid outlet, an adapter with two ends and interlocking tab assemblies flexibly attached to the lid. One end of the adapter connects to the spray gun liquid inlet port and the other end of the adapter connects to the liquid outlet in the container lid. The adapter ends are joined by a liquid-tight passageway. Interlocking tab assemblies on the top of the lid releasably clamp the adapter to the top of the container lid.
Each tab assembly includes a pair of tabs. Each tab is flexibly attached at one end of the tab to the lid top. One tab of each assembly includes an end shaped to securely clamp the adapter to the lid without the need to rotate the adaptor. This clamping tab is free to flex about its attachment point to the lid and includes a hole near the middle of the tab. The end of the second tab of the interlocking tab assembly is formed to fit through the hole in the clamping tab, releasably engaging the tabs. The second tab of the interlocking tab assembly includes a structure adapted to lock the clamping tab in position with respect to the adapter. This locking tab is formed to flex only slightly about its attachment to the lid, thus maintaining the clamping tab in engagement with the adapter, when the tabs are interlocked. Other means for engaging the tabs in each tab assembly may be used such as a snap closure, a hook and eye, etc. as are known to those skilled in the art.
By way of example and not by way of limitation, the connector system may be used with any of the liquid containers described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/302,970, entitled “Liquid Container System for a Spray Gun,” which is incorporated herein by reference, by appropriate adaptation of the shape of the lid and the locking hinges that attach the lid to the container.
A disposable, collapsible liner is inserted through the ring into the outer cup and a lip at the top of the liner is supported on the unitizing ring. The lid includes a projection that slides into the opening at the liner top. The lid screws into the unitizing ring and a flange or a flexible sealing gasket on the periphery of the lid presses the liner lip against the unitizing ring, forming a liquid tight seal. A “unitizing” ring means a ring that in combination with other components (here a liner and lid) allows the combination to be manipulated as a unit. Thus, the lid-ring-liner assembly may be removed from the outer cup as a liquid-tight unit, without the danger of the liquid-filled liner separating from the lid. When the lid is installed on the unitizing ring, the lid-ring-liner assembly may be secured to the outer cup with a locking mechanism.
In particular embodiment, as depicted in
The interlocking tabs assembly (250-252) is illustrated in
To engage the tabs, a user pushes the clamping tab 252 towards the attached adapter, which threads the locking tab 250 into and though the hole in the clamping tab 252. The locking tab 250 is formed to flex only slightly about its attachment to the lid, thus facilitating engagement of the locking and clamping tabs. This user action engages the tabs of the interlocking tab assembly. The end of each clamping tab 256 presses on the adapter ledge 243 and, thus, clamps the adapter 240 to the lid 200, as illustrated in
Two interlocking tab assemblies are shown on the container lid in
In particular embodiments, the lid 200 and interlocking tab assemblies (250-252) are injection molded as a single piece, according to techniques known in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the lid and tab assemblies are made of polypropylene. In other embodiments, other materials that are suitable for injection molding may be used. The lid and interlocking tab assemblies are shaped to facilitate release of the molded part from the mold.
In another embodiment, as depicted in
As described above,
The liner illustrated in
In certain embodiments, the four piece liquid container may be coupled with either a gravity feed or a suction feed spray gun, with the outlet of the lid connected to the inlet port of the gun by an adapter, such as the adapter described above. Liquid is withdrawn from the container and fed to the spray nozzle. The gun may be oriented in a wide range of orientations, including an inverted orientation with respect to gravity.
In a particular embodiment, an integrated, compressible flexible sealing gasket is provided at a peripheral edge of a removable container lid in a four piece liquid container system. This sealing gasket forms a liquid tight seal between the lid, liner and ring. The liquid container system may be generally similar, for example, to the system described above in connection with
As illustrated in
In various embodiments, a filter may be provided for any of the liquid container systems described above. This filter, which may be removable, filters the liquid withdrawn from the container. In a particular embodiment, a filter 350 may be built into the underside of the lid 340 in the container assembly, as illustrated in
The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the true scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.
In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features can be grouped together or described in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter can be directed to less than all features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimed subject matter.
Claims
1. A liner for a liquid container system, comprising:
- a closed end and a generally rounded open end;
- a sidewall extending between the closed end and the open end; and
- a first pleat disposed along the sidewall,
- wherein the liner is adapted to hold a liquid, and wherein the liner is adapted to collapse as the liquid is removed from the liquid container system.
2. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the liner is monolithic.
3. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the sidewall is generally cylindrical.
4. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the sidewall is tapered.
5. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the first pleat circumscribes the sidewall.
6. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the first pleat is substantially perpendicular to a central axis of the liner.
7. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the first pleat forms a reentrant angle relative to the sidewall.
8. The liner according to claim 7, wherein the reentrant angle is substantially uniform around the circumference of the sidewall.
9. The liner according to claim 7, wherein the reentrant angle is greater than 180°.
10. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the first pleat is closer to the closed end than the open end of the liner.
11. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the closed end is non-flat.
12. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the closed end is dome-shaped.
13. The liner according to claim 1, wherein the liner further comprises:
- a second pleat disposed along the sidewall.
14. The liner according to claim 13, wherein the second pleat is disposed adjacent to the first pleat.
15. The liner according to claim 13, wherein the second pleat is substantially parallel with the first pleat.
16. The liner according to claim 13, wherein the first pleat is disposed axially along the sidewall between the second pleat and the closed end.
17. The liner according to claim 13, wherein a sidewall portion between the first and second pleats is along a different plane as compared to the sidewall.
18. The liner according to claim 13, wherein the second pleat is closer to the first pleat than to the open end.
19. A method of using a liquid container system, comprising:
- providing a liquid container system having a liner, wherein the liner comprises a closed end and an open end, a sidewall extending between the closed end and the open end, and a first pleat disposed along the sidewall;
- filling the liner with a liquid;
- removing the liquid from the liner such that the liner first collapses inward at a location along the sidewall between the open end and the first pleat.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the step of providing a liquid container system having a liner further comprises providing a liner having a substantially uniform thickness.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 29, 2013
Publication Date: Mar 27, 2014
Patent Grant number: 10035156
Applicants: (Conflans-Sainte-Honorine), SAINT-GOBAIN ABRASIVES, INC. (Worcester, MA)
Inventors: Ronald L. Gerson (Carlisle, MA), Pierre LaPointe (Plainville, MA), Robert A. Brunell (Forestdale, MA)
Application Number: 14/093,122
International Classification: B05B 7/24 (20060101);